Dispensing device for small commodities



July 2s, 1931. M. MELUN 1,816,542

DISPENSING DEVICE FO'R SMALL COMMODITIES Filed Feb. 8. 1929 l j@ Y (20 z5 I I I wvenkot:

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Patented July 28, 1931 UNIT-Eo STATI-:s Pmi-:NT oFFica MAx MELLIN, or WIEsnonr-oN-THERHINE, GERMANY, AssIGNon. To wINTnnoP cHEmIoAL COMPANY, INC., or NEW You, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW Yom:

DISPENSING DEVICE FORBMALL COIMQDTIES Applicatmn med February ys, 1929, serial No.

This invention relates todevices for dispensing, (shipping, retailing and otherwise distributing or handling) small articles of trade, and while it is particularly useful in connection with tablets of medicine, such as acetylsalicylic acid, salicylic acid phenyl ester, soda-mint and the like, and capsules, pills, pellets, etc. representing doses or partial doses of medicine, and which'are likel to be crushed or fractured or which may be ygroscopic, this device is likewise useful in connection with the handling of other small articles of commerce, or of predetermined small quantities of solid materials in general. The term small commodities as used hereinafter will thereforebe understood to mean either preformed small. articles or small quantities of material in bulk.

,An object of the invention is to provide a device which'is useful to facilitate retailing commodities of the character' described an which affords a practical and extremely convenient means for the handlingof such articles of trade by the consumer.

Another object is to rovide a device which although of a general y flexible nature and possessing therefore the advantages inherent in a flexible device, provides a receptacle as a part of the same which may be suiciently rigid and strong to prevent undesirable deformation or rupture thereof and thereby preclude crushing or fracture of reformed articles which may be placed in t e receptacles, and which will exclude dirt, dust, moisture, etc. from the articles.

Still another object is to provide a device in strip form which carries a plurality of article-containing receptacles in spaced relation, and wherein means is preferably provided for facilitating separation of the sections or packets thus provided so that one of them may be detached for sale or use without exposing the commodity in the other receptacles or disturbing the remainder of the packets of the strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical method of re- A paring the packets or the multiple article described.

The invention will be clearly understood by Two or more smaller articles ma 338,553, and in Germany February 17, 1928.

plan view a multiple Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional-view of a portion'of the strip, somewhat enlarged;

Fig. 3 1s a perspective view of a suitable form of receptacle, and

Fig. 4 is an inside perspective view of one of the sections, showing a referred manner of mounting the receptac es or receptacle par s.

As illustrated in Figs. land 2, a plurality ofpackets 10 are prepared in strip form, any deslred number of the sections being provided in a single strip depending upon. the demands of the particular use towhich th'e strip packet is to be put ,and the character of the commodity to be dispensed. To facilitate separatlon of one or more of the sections or packets from the others, a line of small perforations or other line of weaknessv 11, or a plurality of vsuch lines as illustrated, may be provided crosswise of the strip between sucn ter thereof, is attached a small receptacle 12 for the commodity.- As indica-ted bythe dotted lines 1n Fig. 2, the receptacle illustrated is adapted to hold snugly a single tablet 13, but 1t will be apparent that the size and shape of the receptacles as well as the nature of the material fr om which the are made and their strength, r1gid1ty,etc. w1ll be dictated by the character of the commodity to be handled. be placed in each receptacle, but for dispenslng tablets of drugs, especially if susceptible to deterioration by the air or moisture, itis customary to place a single dose or a partial dose unit in each receptacle, so that no more is exposed upon opening a receptacle than is to be used immediately. The receptacles are dust-proof and preferably are also 'airand moistureproo They7` may be adapted to hold preformed 'solidi bodies or measured quantities of solid substances in bulk.

The strip packet, aside from the container, is preferably flexible and may be formed of showing a single receptacle in a single sheet of material but in its preferred form it is prepared from two sheets 14, 15 of paper or similar cheap and flexible material,

superposed and pasted or otherwise secured 5 together face to face. When superposed sheets are employed, it is convenient to form the receptacle 12 of two complementary parts 16, 17,-halves in the embodiment illustrated, each part having a flange 18, 19 at its inner edge. For some uses these flanges n eed not be continuous but for use in dispensing medicinal preparations it is advisable to have the flanges continued entirel around the edges of the cup or part as s own, so that when the cups are brought together in receptacle-closin relation as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the inner faces 2O (see Fig. 4) abut to seal the rece tacle all around the commodity.

The abutting flanges of cooperating parts may be held together by entering them between the sheets 14, 15. This may be accomplished by providing apertures 21 at correspondin intervals in each of the sheets, such that t e apertures in one sheet will register with those in the other when the sheets are superposed, and insertingI the complementary parts in the opposed apertures with the flanges innermost and underlying the adjacent portions of the sheets. yA tablet or one of the (parts, the two sheets superpose-d and secure together as by heating, in case gum has been applied to the inner face of one or both of the sheets. Preferably the adhesive extends to the edges about the openings in the sheets so that the` latter will be united to the respective anges. The receptacles are firmly supported b the respective sections and will securelysea the commodity against external influences until it is to-be removed for use.

Usually it is preferred to form the receptacles of a light metal such as aluminum or aluminum allo but other materials may be v employed so ong as they are capable, if necessary, of resisting any crushing strains to which the ackets ma be subjected.

Any desira le identi ying names, directies comprising a strip composed of superother commodity may then be dropped into flexible sheets and havin partin from the scope of the invention as define in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing device for small commodiposed sheets of paper secured together face 7o to face, a plurality of receptacles `for the commodity in the strip, each of said receptacles consistin of two complementary' arts one of which is carried by each of said s eets in an aperture therein, said parts bein held in cooperating receptacle-closing relation by the u nitingof said sheets of paper, and means between successive lreceptacles Vto facilitate severing ofthe stri 2. A dispensing evice for small commodities comprising a strip of pa er havin adhesive on one of its faces and olded o n itself to form a plurality of sectionseach composed of two superposed sheets secured face to face by the adhesive, each sheet having an aperture adapted upon folding of the strip to register with the aperture in the contiguous sheet on the other side of the fold, receptacles in the sections, each ofsaid receptacles consisting of two cooperating complementary parts one part of each receptacle being carried y each of said sheets in its respective aperture, and a line of perforations in the strip between successive receptacles to facilitate severing of the strip.

. 3. A dispensing device for small commodities comprising a strip composed of two superposed liexible sheets, secured together face to face, a plurality of receptacles for the commodity in the strip, each of said receptacles consisting of two complementary cups, each ittin` within an aperture in one of the said a ange adapted to lie between the said exible sheets, the opposite pairs of flanges abuttin along their inner faces when the said exib e sheets are secured together to'close the receptacles.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' MAX MELLIN. [1.. s.]

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tions, advertising matter, etc., may of course be applied to the outside ofthe receptacles or the outer faces of the sheets.

l According to the sli ht modification illustrated in Fig. 4, a sing e piece 22 of paper or other suitable material is folded as at 23-24 insertion of the receptacle parts'into the respective openings 21 and introduction of the tablets 13 or other commodities, maybe superposed and secured to ether in a manner to provide the two sheets 25, 26 which, after 

